BYU women's softball team benefits from new-age coverage

We're living in the Golden Age of TV Sports.

Really.

Just in case you weren't paying attention.

There are so many channels with so many sports on them that we even have the opportunity to see one of our local women's softball teams play, live and in living color.

I'm not being snarky here. (For a change.)

The BYU women's NCAA Super Regional appearance against Arizona is on TV. Not just one game, but all three. (If, of course, the best-of-three series goes to three games).

Game 1 is today at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. Game 2 is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU, and Game 3, if necessary, follows on ESPNU at 5 p.m.

It wasn't that long ago that the local football teams weren't guaranteed of live TV coverage. Now we get this.

Amazing.

Without even seeing how well-produced the telecasts are — or not — it's worth being grateful that they're even available.

The way we used to be when our local football teams were on TV. Before we got spoiled.

And, yes, I include myself among the spoiled.

RATINGS REPORT: It's about as predictable as the Jazz losing to the Lakers in the playoffs. When you compare the TV ratings of the weekend late-night local sports shows, it's KSL-Ch. 5 in first, KUTV-Ch. 2 second, and the others trailing.

Here are the approximate number of homes that tuned in to the various Saturday-night sports shows during the recently completed May sweeps:

1. "Sportsbeat" (10:35 p.m., Ch. 5) — 40,600

2. "Talkin' Sports" (10:35 p.m., Ch. 2) — 32,100

3. "Beat Goes On" (11:05 p.m., Ch. 5) — 20,800

4. "Roughin' It Outdoors" (11:05 p.m., Ch. 2) — 13,200

5. "Sports Zone (10:35 p.m., Ch. 4) — 13,200

6. "At Your Leisure" (11:05 p.m., Ch. 4) — 6,600

And here are the Sunday averages:

1. "Sportsbeat" (10:35 p.m., Ch. 5) — 49,100

2. "Talkin' Sports" (10:35 p.m., Ch. 2) — 36,800

3. "Sports Page" (10 p.m., Ch. 13) — 18,900

4. "The Beat Goes On" (11:05 p.m., Ch. 5) — 15,100

5. "Sports Zone (10:35 p.m., Ch. 4) — 9,400

These numbers are not a measure of quality, of course. Just a measure of how many people are tuning in.

As far as quality, well, the top two finishers deserve to be No. 1 and No. 2.

Not necessarily in the order they finish, but they are the top two.

UNENLIGHTENED? In a recent KSL radio update, Ch. 5 sports anchor Tom Kirkland reported on the BYU women's softball team.

He referred to them as "the BYU girls."

How 1950s of him.

e-mail: pierce@desnews.com